The British War in East Africa had begun slowly, and with many setbacks and frustrations,

but by 1916, with control of the Great Lakes and the Sea secured,

South African and Indian troops began the invasion of German East Africa.

By the end of 1916, Dar es Salaam had fallen, and two-thirds of the German territory

was under British or Belgian control. The British press mocked the German commander,

Paul von Letoff Forbeck, calling him Letoff Fallback. But Jan Smuts, veteran of the Anglo-Bower War and commander of the British ground

forces, knew better. The Boers had experienced similar losses of territory and yet kept the fight

going for another two years, and his German-led opponents in East Africa seemed capable

of doing exactly the same thing.

Welcome to the history of the 20th century.

Music The

The Theean, Episode 169, Tipperary Mali Sana Sana.

We've covered the war in East Africa in episodes 105, 113, and 128 already, and to those unfamiliar

with guerrilla warfare, it might appear that the British had the Germans on the run

by the beginning of 1917. But the thing about guerrilla warfare, it might appear that the British had the Germans on the run by the beginning of

1917. But the thing about guerrilla warfare is, you can't tell how the war is going by looking at the

map. So let's begin today's episode by taking a look at the facts that actually do tell you how the war is

going.

The German commander, Paulfon-Letof-Forbeg, still has over 10,000 soldiers,

mostly black Africans at his command, and they still roam freely over a sprawling region of tropical savannah about the same size as imperial Germany. Allied forces are a mix of

Indian and South African army units, plus a few Portuguese soldiers, Belgian force Publique

fighters from the Congo, and white British settler volunteers from British East Africa and

...